# Badminton at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's singles
The men's singles badminton tournament at the 2020 Summer Olympics was a 41-player competition held from 24 July to 2 August 2021 at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in [Chōfu](https://www.edgepedia.org/chofu), Tokyo, and was won by Denmark's Viktor Axelsen, who defeated defending champion Chen Long of China in the final.[1](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BDM) • [2](https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2024/07/27/jo-2024-viktor-axelsen-le-danois-qui-ebranle-l-hegemonie-asiatique-en-badminton_6259385_3242.html) The players represented 36 National Olympic Committees.[1](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BDM)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates | 24 July – 2 August 2021 (Games postponed from 2020)[1](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BDM) |
| Venue | Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, Chōfu, Tokyo[1](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BDM) |
| Field | 41 players from 36 NOCs; initial quota of 38 places before reallocation[1](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BDM) • [3](https://cdn.dosb.de/user_upload/Athletenservice/Tokio_2021/internationale_Qualifikationskriterien/BWF_-_Badminton_Revised_Qualification_System_20200603.pdf) |
| Gold medal match | Viktor Axelsen (DEN) beat Chen Long (CHN) 21-15, 21-12 on 2 August 2021, in about 50 minutes[2](https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2024/07/27/jo-2024-viktor-axelsen-le-danois-qui-ebranle-l-hegemonie-asiatique-en-badminton_6259385_3242.html) |
| Bronze medal | Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (INA), who beat Guatemala's Kevin Cordon in the bronze medal match[1](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BDM) • [4](https://www.nippon.com/en/news/reu20210808KBN2F905Y/) |
| Defending champion | Chen Long, the only defending champion in any of the five badminton categories[5](https://badmintonasia.org/2021/07/06/tokyo-2020-olympic-games-badminton-qualifiers-announced/) |
| Axelsen's route | Won every match in the tournament without losing a single game[6](https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/tokyo-olympics-badminton-review-upsets-abound-unseeded-teams) |
## Format and qualification
The tournament format had remained the same since 1996, when mixed doubles was added to the Olympic program alongside men's and women's singles and doubles.[1](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BDM) The singles events began with a group stage: 38 players were divided into groups of three and four, from which the qualifiers advanced to the round of 16.[7](https://as.com/juegos_olimpicos/2021/06/25/reportajes/1624582068_051109.html) The initial quota for men's singles was 38 athletes before reallocation of places to singles players who also competed in doubles.[3](https://cdn.dosb.de/user_upload/Athletenservice/Tokio_2021/internationale_Qualifikationskriterien/BWF_-_Badminton_Revised_Qualification_System_20200603.pdf) The draw was held on 8 July 2021 at the National Badminton Centre in [Milton Keynes](https://www.edgepedia.org/milton-keynes), England.[5](https://badmintonasia.org/2021/07/06/tokyo-2020-olympic-games-badminton-qualifiers-announced/)
## The tournament
**Upsets shaped the event.** Not one [Badminton World Federation](https://www.edgepedia.org/badminton-world-federation) top-ranked player or pair won gold at these Games, and in men's singles and doubles and women's doubles the favorites did not medal at all.[4](https://www.nippon.com/en/news/reu20210808KBN2F905Y/) Japan's Kento Momota, the world number one and the host nation's main hope in the event, was knocked out before the quarter-finals.[4](https://www.nippon.com/en/news/reu20210808KBN2F905Y/) Reuters attributed much of the disruption to the COVID-19 pandemic, which threw off the ranking tables: several major international tournaments were missed or canceled, reducing the points players could accumulate and giving younger players extra time to catch up.[4](https://www.nippon.com/en/news/reu20210808KBN2F905Y/)
**Axelsen's run.** [Viktor Axelsen](https://www.edgepedia.org/viktor-axelsen), the world number two, took over where Momota fell and won gold, taking every match without dropping a single game.[4](https://www.nippon.com/en/news/reu20210808KBN2F905Y/) • [6](https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/tokyo-olympics-badminton-review-upsets-abound-unseeded-teams) In the final on 2 August 2021 he beat [Chen Long](https://www.edgepedia.org/chen-long) 21-15, 21-12 in roughly 50 minutes.[2](https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2024/07/27/jo-2024-viktor-axelsen-le-danois-qui-ebranle-l-hegemonie-asiatique-en-badminton_6259385_3242.html) It was his second [Olympic medal](https://www.edgepedia.org/olympic-medal), after the bronze he won at Rio 2016.[6](https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/tokyo-olympics-badminton-review-upsets-abound-unseeded-teams) After the match Axelsen hugged the silver medallist, spoke with him in Chinese, and asked to exchange shirts.[4](https://www.nippon.com/en/news/reu20210808KBN2F905Y/)
**The bronze medal match.** The bronze went to Indonesia's Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, the world number five, who had to fend off Kevin Cordon of Guatemala, the world's 59th-ranked men's singles player, whose run to the final stages was one of the tournament's surprises.[4](https://www.nippon.com/en/news/reu20210808KBN2F905Y/)
## Significance
Axelsen was the only badminton medallist at the Tokyo Games from outside Asia.[1](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BDM) Axelsen went on to defend the title at Paris 2024, becoming a two-time Olympic champion with three Olympic medals in total, matching the record for the most Olympic badminton medals won by an individual male player.[8](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/441380-most-olympic-badminton-medals-won-by-an-individual-male)
## References
1. [Olympedia – Badminton at the 2020 Summer Olympics](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BDM)
2. [Le Monde – JO 2024 : Viktor Axelsen, le Danois qui ébranle l'hégémonie asiatique en badminton](https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2024/07/27/jo-2024-viktor-axelsen-le-danois-qui-ebranle-l-hegemonie-asiatique-en-badminton_6259385_3242.html)
3. [BWF – Tokyo 2020 Revised Qualification System, Badminton (3 June 2020)](https://cdn.dosb.de/user_upload/Athletenservice/Tokio_2021/internationale_Qualifikationskriterien/BWF_-_Badminton_Revised_Qualification_System_20200603.pdf)
4. [Reuters via Nippon.com – Olympics-Badminton-Status quo upset in Tokyo - what happened?](https://www.nippon.com/en/news/reu20210808KBN2F905Y/)
5. [Badminton Asia – Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Badminton Qualifiers Announced](https://badmintonasia.org/2021/07/06/tokyo-2020-olympic-games-badminton-qualifiers-announced/)
6. [NBC Olympics – Tokyo Olympics badminton in review: Upsets abound by unseeded teams](https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/tokyo-olympics-badminton-review-upsets-abound-unseeded-teams)
7. [AS – Bádminton, Juegos Olímpicos de Tokio](https://as.com/juegos_olimpicos/2021/06/25/reportajes/1624582068_051109.html)
8. [Guinness World Records – Most Olympic badminton medals won by an individual (male)](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/441380-most-olympic-badminton-medals-won-by-an-individual-male)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Badminton › Badminton competitions › Badminton at multi-sport games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license